I get so much done sitting on a plane next to strangers for the same reason I get so much done sitting on the toilet. The Frigid air from the nipple shaped above head vent doesn’t bother me and neither does the cold bathroom on an early chilly morning.

I’m yearning for that prolonged period of uninterruption that come in human form or electronic device form. I’m longing for not feeling guilty about not doing “something else” simply because I can’t do “something else”. I miss that focus and clarity.

So much so that I need to be out of town Monday. I can drive it isn’t too far, but I’ve decided to fly instead. I can’t explain why I’m “wasting money” as my mother is putting it. I just told the family I need a little break from driving this week. The truth is, I really need that one hour of disconnect getting there and then another hour coming back.

I’m checking in to say That before today I had not made progress on my journey. Before today I still had excuses. Before today I was using Taco Bell and Dairy Queen as a reaction to every emotion.

Today I have made some progress. I will not be going to bed feeling overly stuffed. I split the entrée for lunch. Breakfast was boiled eggs. Yes I did have dessert, I cannot pass up those Rocky Mountain candy apples, but I was satisfied with half the Apple.

Baby is asleep and I am exhausted. I put a movie on starring Melissa McCarthy and suddenly I’m in a much better mood.

The sight of Melissa McCarthy on the big screen is always comforting for me, yet I can’t exactly explain why. Her clothes, her hair styles and hair color, the way she dresses, the way she talks (I guess that means her accent). It’s realness.

I came to a realization this weekend that a major reason why I’m struggling to get this weight under control is because of lack of organization. I feel like I’m on a downward spiral weighed down by list of all of the things I need to get done, except I’m not even organized enough to make that list.

I signed up for a new weight loss plan which involves taking certain supplements and drink mixes throughout the day. One week after I get my box I literally cannot find half of the stuff I need. The realization for the cause of the lack of success came when I suddenly found the bottle of the morning cleanse in my car. It was sitting in a cup holder on top of some folded bank deposit receipts. So how am I supposed to follow the plan? I have two different residences that I split my time between, and we can even call my car an unofficial third residence. I have also spent the last week at my parent’s house. That’s where I actually took the box to unbox, and likely where I left the guidebook as well.

My desk space is quite messy; however messiness is not even the big problem. The problem is I have trouble finding things-even really important things! I can’t find my official EIN letter from the IRS. I’m not sure what that even is but it sounds really important. This is the first year that I file taxes as a small business owner and my new accountant is asking me for several documents that I’m unable to locate.

Although business has been steadily improving and we’ve had a great start to 2018, my disorder disorder is costing me money. Yesterday I had a to comp a service for someone because I couldn’t find some of her information on paper after spending 20 minutes looking. She was already upset because she had waited 45 minutes after her appointment time. I didn’t want her to get further upset with me and risk losing her and her family’s future business. So I ate the $50 dollars that I normally would have charged for her visit that day.

Since starting this blog I have come to a conclusion that my weight gain (and the fact that I can’t lose it) is a symptom of other problems in my life. The messiness, lack of organization, lateness, forgetfulness, laziness….all of these are related to the weight gain.

Pill bottles, boxes of powdered packets, and colorful pamphlets congregate at my dining table. I have thrown in the towel and given up on my own free will. I have done what I said I will never do again. I have handed over my credit card and signed up for another diet.

I made it to round three. It has nothing to do with my weight loss journey. The round 1 essay is too personal to put out there, but the round 2 essay isn’t even about me, so I share ! The instructions were to write a persuasive essay on what makes a good (as opposed to bad) apology.

In 2014, NBA superstar Lebron James caused his Akron, Ohio neighbors great inconvenience when his homecoming resulted in an epic traffic jam in a residential subdivision. Nannies couldn’t take four-year-old girls to ballroom dance lessons, parents had to cancel steakhouse dinner reservations, and worst of all, the Amazon delivery man could not do his job. It’s rumored that “best toilet paper to TP a mansion” and “how to let the air out of Bentley tires” were searches trending on google that week in the region corresponding to the geographical coordinates of this Ohio neighborhood. Since Lebron James decided he had enough scorching sun in his lifetime and didn’t feel like going back to Miami, he knew he had to do something drastic. Plus, he hated the pizza in Miami. He brainstormed with his team on how he could deliver the best apology to his outraged neighbors, one that would let them know offensive plays are only for court side, not for neighbors. According to ESPN, he sent a written apology with the note “we are sorry for the chaos”, to each neighbor along with a box of a dozen cupcakes from his favorite local bakery. Each box contained six cupcakes of “Just A Kid From Akron Cherry Cola” cupcakes and six “Homecourt Chocolate Chunk” cupcakes.” The basketball legend had delivered a number of apologies in his lifetime, and his trial and error led him to realize that a good apology is one accompanied with cupcakes, or a sufficient substitute.

How effective was the apology? ESPN interviewed some of these formerly unforgiving neighbors to find out. “It was really hectic around here,” said David Galehouse, a sophomore at Ohio State whose childhood home is walking distance from James’ house, “but it’s really nice for LeBron to do something like this.” He continued “they were some of the best cupcakes I ever had.” In other words, Lebron James was forgiven for everything, including the whole debacle with Amazon deliveries.

Everyone will need to apologize in their lifetime. Relationships, and even jobs depend on one’s ability to effectively apologize. Therefore, it’s an essential life skill to be able to deliver a good apology, versus a bad apology, which can render one single and unemployed. In this essay, we will illustrate with example that what differentiates a good apology versus a bad apology is a simple one: cupcakes!

In 2016, Madonna upset her New York City neighbors by also acting very celebrity. Like James, she caused distress to her neighbors by blocking off portions of the block she resided on. Also like James, she delivered an apology to her livid neighbors. “Yes Bishes I am Madonna…sorry! I’m saying 3 extra Hail Mary’s this Easter for this transgression!”. One may read the full apology on Madonna’s Instagram account, however, we only have 1,000 words. Unlike James, her apology did not achieve its purpose with the victims of her said transgression. The Daily Mail interviewed one neighbor who stated “this just seems so entitled”. Another neighbor added “one of her staff literally walks into the street and stops cars and pedestrians from passing”. Nodonna, as one neighbor was heard shouting, was not granted forgiveness.

One might ask what was the difference between the apologies that resulted in one being perceived as a good and and one being perceived as a bad one. The answer is a baked flour and sugar concoctions that may be found with toppings the color of every wavelength on the spectrum. They are usually served a dozen at a time, and have been the stars of many reality TV shows. No, it’s not The Bachelor contestants, but cupcakes, of course!

We now give you another example of why cupcakes makes a good apology while the lack of cupcakes leaves the apologizer and the mercy of others. The Coldtown theater, Austin’s main alternative comedy theater, has been the sight of many scenes involving drunk and disorderly-in-a-quirky, weird way, patrons. It is Austin, after all. One particular apology from such a patron actually landed on their Twitter page. What makes this one different from all of the other ones? The formerly disgraced patron also included cupcakes (flavor unknown) with his apology note. Suddenly, everyone is touched and the staff texts their friends all about it.

We now take you from Austin to Hollywood, California where we tell you about another apology story that occurred at a theater. Kelly Osbourne got kicked out of the ArcLight Theater for similar behavior. She was irritated, as we all once were, at a giggling gang of teenagers. Osbourne, suspected to have been a little inebriated, decided to confront them by shouting a few choice words while making gestures not interpreted as friendly. She disrupted the entire theater and was kicked out. According to her pal and date that night, Kathy Griffin, Osbourne sincerely apologized, but we barely ever heard of the apology, much less saw the tweets. In fact, the jury is still out on whether or not the ArcLight Theater has accepted her apology. What did Osbourne do wrong that made her apology seem subpar? If one guessed cupcakes, one was only being reasonable.